See, only a few days when I know the next episode is coming up in a week!

I thought that this was a fantastic episode, and I am quite happy about that. I hope this is a sign for the rest of the season/series. I was feeling great at the start of the season when we had four great episodes in a row. However, the fifth episode, "Coming Home Was A Mistake," was one of my least—if not least—favorite episodes ever. The sixth was great (if depressing), but then I did have a few issues with the seventh as well, although, overall it was very good. Unfortunately those last three episodes were followed by the winter hiatus and so my view of the season thus far taken as a whole wasn't as rosy as it really should have been. But you know how the saying goes: 'What have you done for me lately?'

This is not to say that I still didn't think the overall season was really good; I just didn't see it as great. Now with this eighth episode, I can happily say that six of eight so far have been great, excellent, awesome—pick your adjective—another very good, with just one merely decent episode. That's a damn good average. Let's talk about the specific now… this excellent outing.

I am an Ian Somerhalder fan. This isn't really a secret… but I try and not be biased when it comes to critiquing either his acting or, in this case, directing. I've given Paul Wesley some praise (and not) in that department, but I've been much more effusive about Somerhalder's turn behind the camera. I've had a few minor issues, but they were really minor. Here's the thing, I took a few directing classes, and maybe because of that I tend to pay attention to how a director sets the pace for an episode, particularly beautiful shots, etc. And it's not like it's just Wesley and Somerhalder that I've commented on with regards to their direction. I could easily roll off the name of a handful of directors I've especially liked and some not so much. (I won't say his name, I won't say his name, I won't say his name.) All of this is to say that once again I may come across like a Somerhalder-fangirl, but honestly, I truly believe that he is a damn fine director.

For example… let's compare this episode with the last. In both of them, horrific things were done (by Stefan). The difference in how those came across, though, is light-years apart. Now, I'm not just giving the credit to the direction. The script by Matthew D'Ambrosio was fantastic as well. But in terms of direction, the pacing, the cuts, when different shots (long, medium, close-up, pan, etc.) were used, all worked in chorus with the script. Combined, all of it created this tension and when we did get to that horrific moment, it was beautifully set-up. It was haunting, it was horrible and it was memorable.

There were subtle clues as well contrasting the pre-credits scene and the final scene. Damon turned his back on Stefan (to take down the 'bad' guy who would have sacrificed everyone in the room to save himself), looked back a few seconds later and Stefan had killed everyone else. At the end, Stefan was alone, we saw him savoring the perfectly made, non-drip puncture wounds of the doctor before going in for his 'in control' feed. We saw Damon next with Elena's necklace before he returned to his brother. When he did, as in the beginning we saw Stefan's carnage from Damon's point of view.

In addition, in that opening scene we had a medium-shot of Stefan caressing the no-drip puncture wounds as if caressing the woman he loves. Still captured in that shot was the desire and passion in his gaze. Ah, but in the final scene, there was a close-up of the puncture wounds, with the camera lingering on his stroking of them. Because we had already seen that blood lust on his face in the opening sequence, we didn't need to see his face as well because we already knew what he looked like while gazing at those wounds. And, of course, in the pre-credits scene, Stefan told Damon that "heads will remain intact." At the end, there were a couple of heads unattached and a headless corpse or two. However, it wasn't in your face, you had to look closer at the horror that Stefan had created in order to see them.

There were other things that stood out to me during the episode, such as the contrast of Damon standing in the bright sun to Stefan in a moody, shadowed hallway. Those choices highlighted what both brothers were going through. Damon was processing the fact that his humanity's desire to push to the surface was winning, and Elena's necklace was becoming a tangible talisman of that humanity. Meanwhile, Stefan was losing the battle to his ripper!induced blood lust. Such a simple thing to have those contrasting sets (outside versus inside), but the script and direction used that contrast to help deliver the state of the brothers.

Finally, when Stefan first was drinking from the doctor, I knew that he was going to snap. However, it wasn't until Damon walked in that I thought: 'Uh oh, how many bodies is he going to find?' And what we saw... ooh, boy, that was way worse than I imagined. Above, I mentioned this in comparison to the last episode. This scene was chilling, and beautifully shot. And because of the script by D'Ambroiso it built up through the whole episode and that tension was amplified by the direction. We had neither tension nor directorial build-up or climax in "The Next Time I Hurt Somebody, It Could Be You."

Then there were just some gorgeously shot moments: The low-angle shot of Damon as he was looking to the side before he glanced down and saw the necklace. It was just beautifully done. Or the fire zigzagging across the earth to light up more stakes cutting to a behind-the-shoulder panning long shot of Violet—the student responsible for starting the fire. Also, there was the overhead shot of the blaze in that zigzag formation, and the slow pan up the doctor when Damon first saw her giving the viewer (and Damon) time to see what he saw: A reminder of Elena.

Somerhalder is a really good director; he has good instincts, good pacing, and has an eye for beautiful shots. He also (like Wesley) brings out great performances in the actors. Wesley was the most enjoyable as Ripper!Stefan as I've ever seen him. I'm not sure how much that had to do with the script or direction, but he was great. I love Stefan when he's the good parts version and not on the rip, but I'm sorry, it is true, Stefan without his humanity is more fun, LOL! And, ooh, what I find cool this go-round—because, yeah, of course we've seen Ripper!Stefan before—is that except for episodes six and seven of season 03, we never saw Stefan with his humanity off and not fighting it at all. And even in "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Elena did get to him a few times, and in "Ghost World," well, he was being tortured through the whole thing.

So we've never seen a completely unrepentant, unmoved by a connection before (Rebekah and Klaus in "The End Of The Affair," Caroline in the "A Bird In A Gilded Cage"), thus why this version is so much more pronounced. Yes, Damon is with him and that is his strongest connection, but there is so much antagonism and history there that his connection to Damon actually pushes him to keep the switch off. Especially because Stefan, filled with humanity, is unreasonably upset with Damon right now.

Not that it doesn't mean we still aren't getting some great stuff with the brothers, there was a lot of awesome Brothers Salvatore in this one. Right now, we're seeing a reversal of early season 01 when Damon's switch was flipped and he just wanted his brother to turn it off and join him in the vampire fun to be had. Now, we're seeing that from Stefan to Damon. Another big contrast between the brothers was the sequence at the end (scored by a gorgeous, absolutely fitting song by Michael Malarkey). Damon is reaching out to someone about being good, making up for past deeds and why it's a good thing. Meanwhile, Stefan has lost himself once more in the dark shadow of his blood addiction. Normally, it's the other way around with Damon the problem child, and Stefan the do-gooder. But this time, Stefan is the "jerk," the "trouble-maker."

There was more great stuff troughout the episode, the back and forth testing that Stefan kept doing, Damon's denials, giving in to Stefan's devil on his shoulder to go against what is his nature now. So, so good. Also good, the fabulous bits of repartee at the top of the episode. When Damon and Stefan were in the meeting and at the café, there was some memorable banter. (I've got to include the gifs for one of them because their interaction was awesome!)

Damon: Well, I got my brother this job.Stefan: Actually, I asked for the job.Damon: Yeah, but through my connections.

Stefan: I thought we were going for like a failed analogy.Damon: No, they're all compelled. Clarity over cleverness, that's what I always say.Stefan: You literally never said that before.

Damon: I thought we were only giving Cade the worst of the worst, like this guy.Stefan: Cade can have him. These are mine.

Stefan: Only in her 20's, and already a doctor. Huh, must have graduated early. Really thrown herself into her work. Why do you think that is, Damon?Damon: I don't know, Stefan, maybe she had a brother that bored the crap out of her.

Stefan: Maybe she's driven by something dark, some sort of pain in her past.Damon: Not everybody's a big ball of angst like you. Maybe she's driven by something good.Stefan: Sound like some betting words to me.Stefan: Really? Sounds like some winning words to me.

Oh, yes, those last two… hmm, let's explore that bit and all that surrounding the pretty, brown-haired, brown-eyed orphaned doctor in her 20s. I mentioned above that Somerhalder did a beautiful slow pan of her when Damon first caught sight of her. The whole sequence there was just ripe with Damon and Elena undertones. Seriously, from the way he looked at her, to him fingering Elena's necklace and his comment that she could be driven by something good (as Elena was when she decided to become a doctor), the entire thing just screamed that Damon loves Elena so much.

And we saw that unspoken exclamation throughout the episode. Damon's continued insistence while he lay vervained in the hospital bed that Tara would not let him die despite the odds that Stefan had stacked against him. He held onto the belief that Tara, this girl so like Elena, was like her in spirit as well.

Damon: Toldja she'd be a challenge, hmm.Stefan: What are you so pleased about? You're supposed to be on task.Damon: All I'm saying is maybe some people can't be corrupted. Maybe she's just plain good.

Like Elena. Elena couldn't be corrupted; Elena is just plain good. And I think it's a safe bet to say that had Elena been in the same position as Tara she would not have done what she did. Elena would have resisted… because, yes, some people are plain good. Like Elena Gilbert. And the necklace that lie in his pocket and Tara's similarities to Elena just kept reminding him of that, reminding him that she saw and believed in the good in him too. Even after Tara "killed" him, he still wanted to give her a second chance and clearly procrastinated on the whole serving her up to Cade thing. Because that good that Elena saw in him is pushing to the surface big-time and that leads me to Damon finding the necklace again.

I knew that he was going to go back and look for it, but oh, how that scene was written, directed and acted was a beauty I was not expecting. Damon said he was going through an existential crisis—familiar words—and that the valuable thing he lost made him feel better. And we saw that it did. Throughout the scene, I was afraid that Damon was going to kill the inmate, after all the last time he had an existential crisis, he killed the person he was talking to… the look on his face certainly appeared to indicate that he was planning to. Then he saw the necklace. Elena's necklace.

*sigh* He loves her so much! Just like Caroline loves Stefan. And just like Damon and Elena with Elena having to deal with Damon's demons, Caroline is now getting a taste of what that feels like. Of course, Caroline has known for a long time that Stefan as a Ripper is not a good thing, but this is the first time that she got a hint of how it could destroy her world. Sybil, for all her faults—and there are so many—had a very valid point. It's actually one that I have mentioned a time or two. Due to Lexi's horrific torture-help, Stefan spent most of his vampire life fighting his addiction entirely the wrong way. It's only in the last few years that he's tried any other strategy… and it's going to take some time before he gets it down pat. So, Caroline's concern for her daughters is legitimate.

I go back to the last episode and how Bonnie had to ask Seline if she was sure that it was Stefan Salvatore who had committed the atrocity at the Monterey migrant camp. I really don't think that anyone other than Elena ever learned just how bad Stefan on a Ripper binge was. The rest of the gang, I don't think, have a clue that Stefan can be and has been worse than Damon. And because of that, despite his Ripperdom, it is very likely that that side of Stefan has never been taken to heart. Well, Caroline's now seeing it. I don't know… I am thinking more and more that somehow, someway we are going to see more vampires-turned-human than just Damon. How else does Caroline get to be with her kids again when the danger to them is because she's a vampire? And even if Ric softens his stance there, how does Caroline allow Stefan—with the Ripper gene—near her children? And how does Caroline choose Stefan over her children if push comes to shove? So, yeah, I wonder.

Anyhoo, speaking of the lovely Sybil… At last we finally know what she has been looking for, and it certainly makes sense. Based on what Dorian said, that tuning fork, excuse me, "the Staff of Arcadius," clanging back and forth inside a bell designed to enhance the vibrations and sounds of the fork might be something that could take out a Siren, period. So my question is… I know why Sybil wants the bell. Obviously she wants to keep others from using it to harm her. However, why does Seline want it? She's trying to walk a righteous path and save herself from hell so what would she need the bell for then? Hmm, I don't know… Maybe she wants it to end Sybil. Think about it, from her point of view, taking out Sybil who has caused so much harm and destruction and is continuing on that course might help make up for the fact that she is the one who led Sybil down that road to begin with. Seline made the deal with Cade because Sybil was dying and she wanted to save her life. That could be a pretty big step on the way to forgiveness, indeed!

Ah, forgiveness, what Peter is hoping to get from his son but with every reveal of the young man that Peter was, the harder it is for Matt. When Peter was talking about his family's past, their legacy smothered by the rich "founders," I noticed that Matt looked not only surprised but also upset. Seeing his reaction, I thought of the fact that had he (and Vicki) known that about their family history, their attitudes might have been different. Because of that, I wasn't surprised at all when Matt said something very similar to his father. I do believe that it very well could have made a change for the better in Matt's life. The thing is that Matt Donovan and Peter Maxwell are intrinsically different people. Peter saw the negative in that the legacy had been tarnished. On the other hand, Matt would have worked to rebuild it. Oh, Matty.

And on that note, randoms –

- Hmm, did Ian Somerhalder's face look puffy in that opening scene and in a few others as well, or was it just me? In some scenes, he looked normal, lean, but in that one and a few others, not so much. It was odd.

- Aww! Caroline writing to Elena this go-round. *sigh* And, again like the last episode, so much Elena. If anyone doesn't realize that she's coming back, they know nothing about how television works.

- It was nice seeing Caroline doing her job again. That's something that is not often touched upon on this show. (Like Bonnie… how is she surviving? Did Enzo get all of the St. John money and she's living off of his wealth now?)

- Well, I'm glad to see that these peeps are finally learning! Ric letting Dorian in the loop was a smart move. (And one that might have saved other people in their past. Psst! Jenna. I'm talking about Jenna.)

- Ah, so the turning fork is known as the Staff of Arcadius and was forged in the fire that killed him. Yeah, like that is not going to be important in the future and help defeat Cade somehow. Uh huh.

- Someone mentioned that Bonnie and the twins are effected by the fork as well, and that got me thinking. Obviously, the plan would be to keep all three of them away from the Staff and bell when utilizing it against Sybil, but... if Bonnie winds up near there, trying to save someone—and it would be in character for her to risk herself to save someone else. Maybe, she had already injured herself prior and thus had Enzo's blood in her system to heal her, or whatever happens with the Staff and bell affects her enough that Enzo gives her blood then to try and help her, but instead she dies? With his blood in her system, she would then become a vampire. And voila! Elena would wake up since Bonnie would be technically dead.

- OMG! I loved Sybil's response and facial expression when Caroline repeated what she said about her assignment:

Sybil: I want to teach you history. Why else would I have told your boss to send you here on assignment.Caroline: The news assignment came from you.Sybil: I just said that. you mustn't have been a very good student.

She looked so annoyed at Caroline, and then truly shook by what a "bad student" Caroline must have been. Haha! I love her so… yes, yes, she needs to die. I still love her.

- Ooh, we already knew about the story of the hundred witches. We learned about that back in season 03. And that house in the background of the field that Sybil took her students too looked like the same house that Damon was barred from entering by the witches (his ring wouldn't work) and where Esther's coffin was hidden. I love how the show pulls from their own history/mythology. It's so cool!

- I thought it was awesome how Dorian, Matt, Peter and Caroline all worked together to save the students.

- I like Dorian, but I liked Georgie better. If one was going to live, I would have preferred her. Sorry, Dorian.

- Haha, Stefan's expression when he found Elena's necklace in Damon's pocket was hilarious!

- That was Caroline's pink non-training wheels-bike hanging in Caroline's garage! Aww… LIZ!!! I miss you! The fact that they included that keepsake from two seasons ago… oh, this show! They know what gets you.

- I mentioned the scene above with Damon and the inmate and how much I loved it. I wanted to add two more comments. The first is that I thought the actor, Devin McGee, playing the inmate, did a great job with such a small role. Really, really good. Also, I loved this bit of their dialogue because of the double meaning, especially with that last line. This episode truly had a great script along with the acting and direction.

Inmate: Sometimes people bounce back.Damon: By doing penance like you? One wrapper at a time?Inmate: Beats leaving 'em on the ground.

- I mentioned the song that played over the final sequence was by Michael Malarkey, and that is the same Michael Malarkey who plays Enzo. I thought it was an awesome choice, and I think the song is gorgeous. You can hear the full thing here on Youtube: Michael Malarkey – "Scars"

Well, I thought this was an awesome episode. One of my favorites of the season. I can't wait until the next one, but *sigh* every episode brings us closer to the end. It's bittersweet.

BTW: For anyone who missed the write-ups and wants to read my season 01 posts, I spent the hiatus finishing them all up (episode 2-22, minus 19 as I'd done that one when the episode aired). Here are the links to all of them:

Thank you for this wonderful recap. I had totally forgotten that Somerhalder directed this one.I agree with you 100%: the episode - especially the directing and script - was a piece of art. The ending was just pure perfection with the cuts, the shots, the song, just AWESOME.

You have a good point with the switch of the roles of the two brothers compared to s1; I actually didn’t realize that until I read your recap, but you’re of course totally right. It’s really interesting for their arc and development; and also for how the Scooby-gang will see and assess Damon and his behavior now in light of SaintStefan’s latest deeds. It might actually help put an end to the constant Damon bashing we had to endure since s1. Hopefully.

Maybe she wants it to end Sybil. Think about it, from her point of view, taking out Sybil who has caused so much harm and destruction and is continuing on that course might help make up for the fact that she is the one who led Sybil down that road to begin with.

Right. And didn’t Seline even mention some eps back that during the years that Sybil was in the vault she actually saw the light and realized how bad they’ve become? Taking both of them out of the picture (because I don’t think that Seline is very fond of her life anymore) would definitely be a big step towards redemption ('better to pick a wrapper up than leave it on the ground' ;)).

Ok, my randoms:- Mythology-wise I found it quite interesting that in TVD universe vampires obviously have a heartbeat. Did we ever learn of that before? - I don’t know why, but the line with the ‘scorecard for hell’ cracked me up. - I wonder what the Maxwells and the witches had to do with each other. How far did their relationships go? Were they friends or antagonists? Also, we saw Bonnie and the twins both react to the tuning fork as well. So I keep wondering what the bell would do to witches? Will it affect them in the same way as the sirens? Does that mean Bonnie (and/or the twins) are gonna die if they were to hear that sound? That definitely has the potential to create some drama in the episodes to come, because it would mean that both sides (Scooby-gang and sirens) are vulnerable to that bell. - Sybil is lying to Caroline, when she says that she is connected to the twins so Care cannot hurt her, because as we (as viewers) know Damon already killed her once in last ep and the kids are still fine, right? - No Bonnie and no Enzo in this ep :( But I’m nevertheless happy for Bonnie. After all she’s been through she deserves to get spoiled by Enzo in Paris for once. As far as I remember that is really the first time-out she's taken after finishing high school. While Elena had her ‘honeymoon’-summer with Damon and Care enjoyed the time as newscaster and with her kids, Bonnie has always been away on a mission or dead or what not. Even the time she spent in the old cabin with Enzo, she was actually hiding from people who were after her (life). So good for her. BUT she so needs to return to MF and quick! And then I’m looking forward to some more ‘history lessons’ about the witches of MF (and the Maxwells) :).

Thank you for this wonderful recap. I had totally forgotten that Somerhalder directed this one.

I knew it was coming up, it was either 7 or 8, and when he didn't direct that one, I knew it would be this one. Considering how much more I like the script for this one, I'm glad it was 8.

I agree with you 100%: the episode - especially the directing and script - was a piece of art. The ending was just pure perfection with the cuts, the shots, the song, just AWESOME.

That ending was amazing, it called to mind the awesome ending of s1e14, "Fool Me Once." That had a similar cuts to different scenes with strong music. That was directed by Marcos Siega... who is a fantastic director.

You have a good point with the switch of the roles of the two brothers compared to s1 [...] It might actually help put an end to the constant Damon bashing we had to endure since s1. Hopefully.

Hope springs eternal. I think it may. After all, I do think they've been building towards that. It would explain why the show decided to re-explore Stefan's complete wanton Ripper ways... the others don't know how awful he can be. They're gonna find out now.

And didn’t Seline even mention some eps back that during the years that Sybil was in the vault she actually saw the light and realized how bad they’ve become? Taking both of them out of the picture (because I don’t think that Seline is very fond of her life anymore) would definitely be a big step towards redemption ('better to pick a wrapper up than leave it on the ground' ;)).

Yeah, I think so. But as for Seline, I don't know if she wants to die yet. After all, she doesn't want to go to Hell and she may feel she needs to do more to redeem herself.

Mythology-wise I found it quite interesting that in TVD universe vampires obviously have a heartbeat. Did we ever learn of that before?

Yup, we found that out in 2.11. Katherine specifically mentioned the heartbeat 2.11. When Katherine and Stefan were in the tomb, after he'd refused the blood from Damon, she started talking about how he has no idea how bad it will be and one of the things she mentioned is the heartbeat slowing down. Which, in a way, I suppose does make sense as they have blood pumping through their system. It also explains why vampires have been unable to tell the difference between Katherine and Elena right away; if she had no heartbeat that would be an easy way for Stefan, Damon, etc.

- I wonder what the Maxwells and the witches had to do with each other. How far did their relationships go? Were they friends or antagonists?

Yeah, because he was making the bell in the first place. Hmmm...

Also, we saw Bonnie and the twins both react to the tuning fork as well. So I keep wondering what the bell would do to witches? Will it affect them in the same way as the sirens? Does that mean Bonnie (and/or the twins) are gonna die if they were to hear that sound? That definitely has the potential to create some drama in the episodes to come, because it would mean that both sides (Scooby-gang and sirens) are vulnerable to that bell.

I imagine that they'd keep them away, but if Bonnie winds up near there, she might start to die... Enzo gives her his blood to try and save her and boom!, She does die, but becomes a vampire. Elena wakes up. Or she could already have his blood in her system from another injury... same result. Ooh! I'm adding this to my post! (Done!)

- Sybil is lying to Caroline, when she says that she is connected to the twins so Care cannot hurt her, because as we (as viewers) know Damon already killed her once in last ep and the kids are still fine, right?

Yes, you are right, indeed!

- No Bonnie and no Enzo in this ep :( But I’m nevertheless happy for Bonnie. After all she’s been through she deserves to get spoiled by Enzo in Paris for once. As far as I remember that is really the first time-out she's taken after finishing high school. [...] So good for her.

That is a good point, but it still doesn't make up for how she's treated Damon lately and not been there for Caroline either. Harrumph!

"Throughout the scene, I was afraid that Damon was going to kill the inmate, after all the last time he had an existential crisis, he killed the person he was talking to… the look on his face certainly appeared to indicate that he was planning to. Then he saw the necklace. Elena's necklace."

You know, I was fearful of that, too. Spooky.

After last episode, for all its problems, gave us a spark of real hope, this one started fanning the spark. I think we know what the end result will be. ;)

And yeah, I love it when the show digs into its own history and mythology to unfold the story and tie up loose ends. Continuity For The Win.

"Throughout the scene, I was afraid that Damon was going to kill the inmate, after all the last time he had an existential crisis, he killed the person he was talking to… the look on his face certainly appeared to indicate that he was planning to. Then he saw the necklace. Elena's necklace."

You know, I was fearful of that, too. Spooky.

And it was because oF Somerhalder's direction AND acting. When you look at the gifs, it's subtle, but the clear shot of the inmate's neck, Damon's narrowed eyes, the slight curl to his life, and then BOOM! he sees Elena's necklace and his entire expression changes. I didn't even realize why I was afraid that Damon was going to kill the inmate until I broke down the scene. THAT is a sign of great direction, when something is conveyed but it's not in your face.

After last episode, for all its problems, gave us a spark of real hope, this one started fanning the spark. I think we know what the end result will be. ;)

Oh, we totally, totally do! (And if you saw the preview for next week... well, that spark is definitely a fire by now!)

And yeah, I love it when the show digs into its own history and mythology to unfold the story and tie up loose ends. Continuity For The W.

We've gotten some really great story arcs and such from use of their own history!

Ha, in the first scene my first thought was: wow, Ian has aged, hasn't he? Maybe he had been partying the night before shooting the scene? LOL.

Hah! Maybe, it was just very obvious to me.

When Matt and his father saved the kids, a variation of the typical S1/S2 score was playing. I loved that. Malarkey's song was also very good. So fitting.

Unless it's Stefan's theme--that we heard a lot in the first couple of episodes--I don't tend to notice when the music came from, LOL! Yes, Malarkey's song was great. I'm actually listening to some of his other stuff because of that one!

It always cracks me up when Sybil is so giddy when she's expecting bad thing to happen.

I know, I love her so much! She's awesome (in the worst way, but still). I think what I love about her so much is, like Kai, she's a bad guy and there's no remorse or wishy-washyness about it. She inflicts pain, causes mayhem and she loves it. Like Kai. I'm not saying that I love her as much as Kai... he is head and shoulders above any villian EVAR!, but it's the same kind of glee that adds a zing to the proceedings.

If she stays human, I hope Bonnie gets her powers back before the end.

Me too.

I really liked that Matt's family is tied to the town's history.

SO AWESOME! But sad for Matty that he had no clue.

Thanks for your post! Always a pleasure to read!

No problem, and I don't know if you saw it, but I did do 8.07! (It's a LONG one, though!)

"Here's the thing, I took a few directing classes, and maybe because of that I tend to pay attention to how a director sets the pace for an episode, particularly beautiful shots, etc." - That's so cool! Did you get to work on some kind of a project or was it more like a series of lectures? Either way that's really great that you got to do this.

"I won't say his name, I won't say his name, I won't say his name." - lol Should I know whom you mean?! I feel like I'm more aware of who your favorite/least favorite writers are, I'm not sure about the directors.

"All of this is to say that once again I may come across like a Somerhalder-fangirl, but honestly, I truly believe that he is a damn fine director." - Agreed :)

"This scene was chilling, and beautifully shot. And because of the script by D'Ambroiso it built up through the whole episode and that tension was amplified by the direction." - Yes, it was all so well done.

"The low-angle shot of Damon as he was looking to the side before he glanced down and saw the necklace. It was just beautifully done." - This shot really stood out for me too.

"Another big contrast between the brothers was the sequence at the end (scored by a gorgeous, absolutely fitting song by Michael Malarkey)." - I loved it as well. So many things to love about this episode!

And I think I keep forgetting to mention this (because of course it goes without saying): I love your gifs!!!

"the entire thing just screamed that Damon loves Elena so much." - Exactly!

"Damon's continued insistence while he lay vervained in the hospital bed that Tara would not let him die" - I also thought that the choice of the name itself was lovely. Not only because of the Gone With The Wind reference, but also because of what it represented: home. Tara reminded Damon of Elena and as per Kevin Williamson's words from a very old interview, because of his feelings for Elena, Damon started feeling that he had a home.

"Hmm, did Ian Somerhalder's face look puffy in that opening scene and in a few others as well, or was it just me?" - I don't remember noticing that, but maybe he just had a sleepless night before revisiting the director's seat ;)

"Like Bonnie… how is she surviving?" - Her dad's life insurance? Royalties from Gram's books? Or maybe she just sold all of Shane's stuff on e-bay lol

"With his blood in her system, she would then become a vampire. And voila! Elena would wake up since Bonnie would be technically dead." - I'm certain that if Nina didn't leave the show and the sleeping beauty spell was merely a plot point AND if this season wasn't the last, they would have turned Bonnie into a vampire. That would've been the most obvious way to break the spell. Perfectly logical. Er, as far as supernatural logic goes at least lol

"Here's the thing, I took a few directing classes, and maybe because of that I tend to pay attention to how a director sets the pace for an episode, particularly beautiful shots, etc." - That's so cool! Did you get to work on some kind of a project or was it more like a series of lectures? Either way that's really great that you got to do this.

I didn't do camera work, just stage direction, but it was so rewarding and I will say that everyone I directed (we did 3 projects, 2 monologues and one scene with 2 partners) got A's for their performances under me, but only 1 of them got an A under other student directors. :)

"I won't say his name, I won't say his name, I won't say his name." - lol Should I know whom you mean?! I feel like I'm more aware of who your favorite/least favorite writers are, I'm not sure about the directors.

You really should... I talk about my disappointment with Joshua Butler's directing A LOT.

And I think I keep forgetting to mention this (because of course it goes without saying): I love your gifs!!!

That's one thing that you'll get with the episode re-dos, I'll do gifs for all episodes. :D

I also thought that the choice of the name itself was lovely. Not only because of the Gone With The Wind reference, but also because of what it represented: home. Tara reminded Damon of Elena and as per Kevin Williamson's words from a very old interview, because of his feelings for Elena, Damon started feeling that he had a home.

Ah, I love this. I may take it into account when I do my new write up of this episode. I don't know if I completely think it's the case, but I'll bear it in mind when I watch how the scenes play out. I think there may be something to it.

"Like Bonnie… how is she surviving?" - Her dad's life insurance? Royalties from Gram's books? Or maybe she just sold all of Shane's stuff on e-bay lol

LOL!

"With his blood in her system, she would then become a vampire. And voila! Elena would wake up since Bonnie would be technically dead." - I'm certain that if Nina didn't leave the show and the sleeping beauty spell was merely a plot point AND if this season wasn't the last, they would have turned Bonnie into a vampire. That would've been the most obvious way to break the spell. Perfectly logical. Er, as far as supernatural logic goes at least lol

Yeah, except that it would have only gone against ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT WE KNOW ABOUT BONNIE BENNETT AS A PERSON! Ahem, just saying.

"everyone I directed (we did 3 projects, 2 monologues and one scene with 2 partners) got A's for their performances under me, but only 1 of them got an A under other student directors." - That's fantastic! Congratulations!!! You definitely have a talent for it, the eye of a truly amazing screenwriter/director, so I hope you'll get to participate in something like that again.

"You really should... I talk about my disappointment with Joshua Butler's directing A LOT." - AH! Him! Yes lol I forgot. I didn't think or heard of him since I quit twitter haha That's why I forgot.

"That's one thing that you'll get with the episode re-dos, I'll do gifs for all episodes." - ♥ ♥ ♥

"Yeah, except that it would have only gone against ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING THAT WE KNOW ABOUT BONNIE BENNETT AS A PERSON! Ahem, just saying." - I don't think it really matters in situations such as the life of your loved one being at stake. Even if you can't swim but you see someone dear to you drowning, the first instinct is to jump into the water. Same here. I'm not saying Bonnie should've (or would've been able to) carried through with the idea, but she should've at least thought of it. And there was zero indication she did. Just saying ;)

I don't think it really matters in situations such as the life of your loved one being at stake. Even if you can't swim but you see someone dear to you drowning, the first instinct is to jump into the water. Same here. I'm not saying Bonnie should've (or would've been able to) carried through with the idea, but she should've at least thought of it. And there was zero indication she did. Just saying ;)

I don't think this applies at all. That's a life or death situation. This is talking about Bonnie even thinking about becoming a vampire. She would never do that. She would never even think about that beyond a second. It's just completely ingrained not only in her but ANY witch that it's just NO, you don't do that. Witches are literally, instinctively against vampires. Bonnie isn't because she had to learn to not feel that way, but to become one? No, no, no............ that her second reaction (after literally one or two seconds of thinking it) wouldn't be, no, I can't do that is completely and utterly against EVERYTHING that Bonnie Bennett is. It just is.

"no, I can't do that" - Yes, but the thing is... that's kind of what I meant lol And that's the kind of reasoning that got Elena drowned, I mean, got Matt saved in 3x22. In some cases who you are, what you believe is right and all that, should just be a secondary factor, so to speak. Or maybe not "should", but it simply *is* - although not in case of all people, of course.

I get that, but the thing is... Bonnie didn't appear to have ANY hesitation at all at any point, at all, there was nothing about her being a witch and how being a witch is an inherent part of who she is and how being a witch goes against vampires intrinsically. THAT should have come up canonically. That it did not was out of character for Bonnie and, frankly, for the show. Of course the fact that we never saw an actual love story with any type of discussion of any kind that dealt with real issues (such as a witch and vampire falling in love) play out between these two makes this just par for the course.

"Bonnie didn't appear to have ANY hesitation at all at any point, at all, there was nothing about her being a witch and how being a witch is an inherent part of who she is and how being a witch goes against vampires intrinsically." - Yes, that's true, and I guess sadly that probably fell victim simply to the lack of time. I'm sure it would've gotten addressed had we had at least one more season to go.

I disagree; it could have been addressed had they used the 12 or so episodes between the shocking Bonnie/Enzo kiss to the 3 years jump and shown their love story developing and not relegated it to one episode. Or it could have been done in place of the pointless scenes regurgitating information we already knew (he could fight Sybil because of his past--that was a reminder ONLY if it was going to be used to explain to the others why Damon couldn't) or during some of their 'I love you. No, I love you. No, no, I love you!' scenes. It COULD have been done. Just a couple of scenes with that dialogue would have been enough at least this season for that discussion, but they chose to ignore it.

"I disagree; it could have been addressed had they used the 12 or so episodes between the shocking Bonnie/Enzo kiss to the 3 years jump and shown their love story developing and not relegated it to one episode." - Yeah, that's true.